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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Washington Salon - 1880-1910,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Five of Hearts (Paperback)
The book is not intellectually deep, but is most enjoyable. It provides a view of a small American elite representing a transitional society between the late Civil War and early 19th century. It centers on five diverse people who, by chance, formed a unizue Washington social and intellectual salon mostly centering on themselves, but benefitting from each member's extensive contacts in the U.S. and France (to a lesser extent). The five were Henry Adams (descendant of two Presidents), his wife, Clover, John Hay (Secretary to Lincoln and Sec of State at the turn of the century), his wife, and Clarence King, the firs head of the U.S. Geological survey. Adams and Hay built large homes on the north of Layafette Square which became the center of the salon (the sites are occupied by the Hay Adams Hotel). The focus is on the personalities and interests of these unique characters, the depiction of life at the heart of our capitol, and references to art and architecture integral to Washington of that era, but which led to a broader influence along the east coast particularly. In a very concrete setting, the author deals with love, tragedy, and the political and intellectual curiosit which dominated these people's lives. None has really survived in the public consciousness, but all played significant roles in their time and deserve this interest in what made their lives.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Circle of Friends,
By Kcolorado (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Five of Hearts (Paperback)
As a photographer I have had a fascination with the life of Clover Adams, a 19th century American photographer who ended her life by suicide. She seemed in many ways to be a modern woman, married to Henry Adams, a decidely 19th century man. Adams, a member of the legendary Adams family that gave the US two presidents, is best known for "The Education of Henry Adams" a quasi autobiography he wrote after Clover's death, notable for many reasons including that it doesn't mention her. Henry's books and life have slipped from view though are highly regarded in academic circles. I was pleased to discover another view of Clover and Henry in Patricia O'Toole's very readable portrait of a circle of friends that included the Adams, John Hay, Theodore Roosevelt's Secretary of State, and his wife Clara and noted geologist and explorer Clarence King. It is a story of great friendship,recorded in the epistalory mode of letters, that may become one of the greatest casualties of the Internet age.While one could read the book for the intimate glimse it provides of renown figures of the age, including Henry James,Theodore Roosevelt, Robert Louis Stevenson and painter John La Farge the most fascinating part is the record of the friendship of the five, who refer to themeselves as "the five of hearts" More surprisingly is the suggestion of illicit romantic affairs these seeminly straight laced Victorians engaged in. It is a wonderful read and illuminates the Gilded Age of fin-de-siecle America. Did I learn more about Clover? Yes, her humor, wit and troubled life is discussed and the view of her through her intimate friends illumniates more though is tantalizingly incomplete.
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